Best Albuquerque Day Trips

Here are my favorite day trips from Albuquerque! When visiting Albuquerque you are only hours away from fascinating historic locales, natural attractions and more!

Here are my favorite Albuquerque day trips!

Albuquerque, New Mexico is affordable, livable, and has a truly unique personality thanks to the amalgam of cultures that have shaped its culture for hundreds of years. However, to truly understand what has contributed to the uniqueness of Albuquerque, you need to explore beyond its borders. So let’s do that! Here is an ever growing list of the best days trips for anyone who visits Albuquerque.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ok, this is a no-brainer. Of course, you’re going to visit Santa Fe! How could you come all the way to Albuquerque and not do so? Santa Fe is arguably the most beautiful city in New Mexico, rich in beautiful adobe architecture, renowned art galleries, and world-class restaurants. We show you how to use the Rail Runner commuter train to make your Albuquerque day trip to Santa Fe as carefree as possible. Santa Fe is an eminently walkable city, and the Rail Runner puts you at the doorstep of the very best this seductive city has to offer.

Petrified Forest National Park

Color, baby, color! If you think that all desert is beige, prepare to have your minds blown by the Painted Desert. The Petrified Forest National Park sits in Arizona’s Painted Desert and serves as a showcase for a diverse ecosystem featuring jewel-like fossilized trees, colorful badlands, and a list of features and attractions that will thrill any nature-lover. It’s a three-hour drive from Albuquerque, but so worth it!

Old Town Albuquerque

Well, you don’t need to leave Albuquerque for this day trip… You simply cannot visit Albuquerque without seeing Old Town! This is the oldest section of Albuquerque, offering a charming window into the history and culture of this city. Check out my Things to Do in Old Town Albuquerque Guide. Click the button below.

Route 66, Tucumcari, NM

If you are a Route 66 buff, the iconic city of Tucumcari near the New Mexico / Texas border is your essential day trip. Tucumcari has raised the preservation of Route 66 roadside architecture to a fine art, making it a joy to visit. So, start your day with breakfast at the 66 Diner in downtown Albuquerque, and then head to Tucumcari. Make it an overnight stay for the ultimate “Mother Road” experience.

Very Large Array (VLA), Socorro, New Mexico

Visiting the Very Large Array in Socorro, New Mexico is like becoming the central character in your own sci-fi movie. This is one of the most unusual travel attractions in New Mexico and makes for an unforgettable experience. Even if science bores you, you will be awed by the Very Large Array! Be sure to stop by the Owl Bar and Cafe while in Socorro on your way back to Albuquerque for what is arguably one of the best Green Chile Cheeseburgers in New Mexico.

Madrid, New Mexico

It seems like nothing old in New Mexico is ever discarded. It is reused, re-purposed or simply grows old gracefully in place. That can also be said of New Mexico’s ghost towns. The most oddly charming of the resurrected ghost towns in New Mexico is Madrid, on the Turquoise Trail about a half hour outside of Albuquerque. It is a madly creative and quirky artists commune that must be on your short list of Albuquerque day trips.